How a humble, ivy-laden studio in Koganei, Tokyo, and a bespectacled genius set a new standard for the animation industry.
“I do believe in the power of story. I believe that stories have an important role to play in the formation of human beings, that they can stimulate, amaze and inspire their listeners.”
- Hayao Miyazaki
Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation studio founded in 1985 by directors Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki, rose to fame worldwide for its artistic prowess and quality hand-drawn animation. The legacy of the studio extends beyond the drawing board or the screen; lead artist Hayao Miyazaki produced a profound vision that has touched the hearts of people for over 30 years.
Miyazaki has spearheaded the production of Ghibli’s films, but his career preceded the studio by decades. Initially, a director for both television shows and animated films, his first feature film, The Castle of Cagliostro, debuted in 1984. Following the adventures of master thief Arsène Lupin III, the film spun off a single character in a bombastic, spectacular array of visuals. Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind followed suit as his second feature—a story about a post-apocalyptic world devastated by a toxic jungle (which became an early hallmark of his signature style of film). Miyazaki’s talent as a filmmaker gained traction within the industry; by 1986 Studio Ghibli’s first official film Castle in the Sky debuted on the big screen.
Hayao Miyazaki, LIVINGLIFEFEARLESS.co
Enough exposition. Miyazaki is, essentially, the heart of the studio’s charm. A rather disheveled old man, never without a cigarette and his unshakeable, obstinate attitude, crouches over a rickety drawing board, not once lifting his eyes. Yet, upon peering down at the paper, nothing more than a few lines are drawn. A modest sketch, with light watercolor and scribbled notes, presents itself. Nothing more. Quality does not always mean elaborate. Such an elusive, simple concept drives purpose in a world hungry for complexity.
Miyazaki covers simple themes like love, war, and acceptance, but his touch comes from its subtlety. A tale about diseased boars terrorizing a town protected by a brave prince and a daughter of wolves becomes a story of nurturing the natural world and the evils that threaten it; an anecdote of a young girl being cursed by a witch eventually chronicles the pain of bearing a heart.
Princess Mononoke, 1997, dir. Hayao Miyazaki
This je ne sais quois stems from his honesty and loyalty to the creative process. A film created by Miyazaki’s hand intends to betray audiences’ standards, but never seeks to inundate such expectations with “heaviness.” Seldom does an audience desire pretentiousness, either; in all sense of the word. His artistry derives from the chaos of experiences and empathy, forming a singularity. Such simple stories are laced with humanizing themes often told only in one line in the entire film. Perhaps, the theme may not even be mentioned at all, but rather seen.
Ghibli’s films are radiant in their visuals: rich gouache landscapes shifted by hand cel by cel; fluid sakuga in each dynamic scene; and imaginative creatures from fever dreams fill the screen, but without a soul no story is complete. A soul that understands what people really want: they want to see that simple drawing, those simple notes. And nothing more.
“The creation of a single world comes from a huge number of fragments and chaos.”
- Hayao Miyazaki
Spirited Away, 2001, dir. Hayao Miyazaki
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